She claims she was never ashamed of her life, a life that saw bad blonde Barbara Payton sliding down that razor blade of fame and cracking up big-time just months before her 40th birthday. She arrived in Hollywood at 17; after a few false starts with small parts in B-movies and a series of well-publicized flings, she co-starred with James Cagney in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. She earned rave reviews, and Payton was on her way. After two starter marriages, the leggy, buxom blonde snagged star Franchot Tone. All was not bliss for the newlyweds, alas, as muscle-bound former Golden Gloves contender-turned-actor Tom Neal appeared on the horizon. After a 53-day marriage, Payton left the safety of Tone for the rugged sexuality of Neal; the break-up was precipitated by a brawl between Neal and Tone, leaving Tone hospitalized and surviving an 18-hour coma. The Tone scandal pretty much ruined things for Payton. A few bad films in England, then things really fell apart. Bad checks, drug scandals and prostitution followed. At 35, she penned the ultimate tell-all Hollywood star bio, I Am Not Ashamed. Penned may not be the right word – she dictated it for $500 worth of cheap red wine while living in her cockroach-ridden apartment. In April 1967, she moved to her parents’ house in San Diego, but the damage was done. Her liver had given out, and then, her heart. On May 8, her father found the body of his daughter on the bathroom floor, dead of heart and liver failure. John O’Dowd’s welcome biography is a slightly-sodden valentine to Payton, and the photos – especially at the end of her “career” – will break your heart.

FOR THE RECORD

Stephen Sondhein: The Story So Far . . . (Sony BMG Masterworks)

We all agree that Sondheim is the greatest Broadway composer/lyricist of his generation. And this four-disc collection, which Sondheim himself calls “with no immodesty, a treasure trove,” proves it. Expect the great stuff, as well as 28 previously unreleased tunes, including demos and what Steve calls “buried nuggets.” You get the man himself playing and singing “The Two of You,” a ditty written for – and rejected by – the Kukla, Fran and Ollie TV show; other gems include discarded songs from Company and A Little Night Music and incidental stage and screen music. The best of all: demos from Saturday Night, the 1955 musical that would have marked Steve‘s debut as a composer/lyricist, and Anthony Perkins and Charmain Carr‘s rarities from the TV musical Evening Primrose. We assume copyright issues prevented the inclusion of the original cast of Follies, here represented by the Carnegie Hall concert version. Return the unwanted holiday gift. This is the presence you want.

DVD QUICK PICK

7 Savages: The Official Box Set (Vintage Film Buff)

We will not apologize for this one. Top on the list of films in this set is Apology for Murder, the 1945 noir that was all but forgotten and starring the equally all but forgotten Ann Savage. The actress once told us that title should have been Single Indemnity – she was referring to the plot similarity to the Double Indemnity; in fact, the plots were so close that Paramount was successful yanking Apology from release for decades. The set includes six other Savage titles, including three rare TV shorts. Don’t let the cheap packaging fool you: This is one Savage that soothes the beast.